Weight losses in maize stored on the cob in cribs: Some preliminary investigations

Abstract

Weight losses suffered by maize stored on the cob in three rectangular and five circular cribs were measured under various storage conditions. In rectangular cribs, improved maize with husks intact and not treated with insecticide suffered a weight loss of:; 8.4 per cent after 29 weeks. Similar maize stored for 28 weeks in two separate circular cribs suffered losses of 26.3 and 21.9 per cent. Untreated local maize, also with the husks intact, stored in circular cribs for 40 weeks suffered a weight loss of 25.0 per cent. When the outer surfaces of rectangular cribs were sprayed at monthly intervals with a 7.5 per cent solutiOl1 of pirimiphos-metbyl, weight loss in maize stored without husks was 38.8 per cent after 25 weeks. Maize with husks intact lost 31.1 per cent after 29 weeks. When pirimiphos-methyl was applied to maize with husks intact at a rate of 27 ppm before storage in a circular crib, the loss after 28 weeks was 13.1 per cent. Similar maize cobs treated with pennetbrin at the same rate suffered a loss of 10.7 pef cent after 28 weeks.